Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) means the IOP exceeds the 97.5th percentile for the population under consideration. Link for more information: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1442-9071.2012.02773.x

Published in an Ophthalmology Times article reviewed by Gregory D. Parkhurst, MD, FACS Link to article: https://www.ophthalmologytimes.com/view/iols-offer-great-vision-low-risk-profile-for-myopia

Glaucoma is a progressive optic neuropathy with characteristic optic nerve head changes and a decrease in retinal functionality, which may lead to irreversible blindness if left untreated. Currently, the only means of slowing the progression of glaucomatous visual field loss is by reducing intraocular pressure (IOP), the major risk factor in the development of glaucoma. Since the early 1980s, β‐blockers have been the primary drug used to achieve this goal. In recent years, the number of drugs available to ophthalmologists has increased enormously, with drugs belonging to the class of carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, α2‐agonists, and above all prostaglandin derivatives. Since their appearance, prostaglandin derivatives used alone have proved to be extremely efficacious and useful in lowering IOP. Prostaglandin derivatives are gaining the growing favour of increasing numbers of ophthalmologists, both as mono‐therapy as well as when used in association with other drugs. Link for more information: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1395-3907.2004.00295.x

In most cases, Stargardt macular degeneration is caused by mutations in the ABCA4 gene. Less often, mutations in the ELOVL4 gene cause this condition. The ABCA4 and ELOVL4 genes provide instructions for making proteins that are found in light-sensing (photoreceptor) cells in the retina. Link for more information: https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/stargardt-macular-degeneration/

While sickle cell anemia is not usually considered an eye disease per se, the genetic condition has several harmful effects on vision, such as retinal detachments and other retinopathies. Ectopia Lentis is a genetic syndrome that causes dislocation of the lens of the eye. Amblyopia, known as lazy eye, is a developmental problem in the nerve connecting the eye and brain. Usher syndrome is an inherited retinal disease that impairs vision and can cause hearing loss.

One common side effect is changes in eyelash and vellus hair (fine, barely noticeable hairs). Link for more information: https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/medication-review-prostaglandin-analogs-for-glaucoma

The four most common symptoms of Behçet’s disease are mouth sores, genital sores, inflammation inside of the eye, and skin problems. Inflammation inside of the eye (uveitis, retinitis, and iritis) occurs in more that half of those with Behçet’s disease and can cause blurred vision, pain, and redness. This disease impacts fewer than 1 in 100,000 people. The presence of hearing loss in Behçet's disease is prevalent and represents a fourth clinical symptom after oral, genital ulcers and skin lesions. The pathological characteristic of Behçet’s disease is thought to be vasculitis. There have been cases of half and half nail in Behçet’s disease, but this syndrome is most often associated with renal insufficiency.

The two types of photoreceptors, cones, which enable color vision, and rods, which enable low-light vision, vary in size and density across the retina. Cone photoreceptors, while larger than rods, are trickier to visualize when they're more tightly packed together as they are in the fovea, the region of the retina responsible for the highest level of visual acuity and color discrimination.

Studies have shown that people with severe retinopathy, damage to the light-sensing tissue at the back of the eye, are more likely to have a diseased-looking brain on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Pictures of the retina may someday provide early warning signs that a person is at an increased risk of stroke and dementia, making it possible to take preventive measures, according to preliminary research to be presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2021. Link for more information: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-03-retinal-higher-dementia-early-death.html

A new laser eye procedure known as Small Incision Lenticule Extraction, or SMILE. Noel's doctor recommended giving it a try. The procedure employs a laser, similar to the one used in LASIK, to remove a small piece of the cornea to reshape the eye. Link for more information: https://www.forbes.com/sites/leebelltech/2018/01/25/the-latest-laser-eye-surgery-innovation-shaking-up-the-health-industry-and-anyone-can-do-it/?sh=2ff89b4b674a

A new drug that could help more than 128 million Americans read without needing glasses has been submitted to the federal Food and Drug Administration for approval. The eye drop — called AGN-190584 — is expected to be approved by the end of this year, according to Allergan Eye Care, which is owned by AbbVie. The eye drops are a pilocarpine solution meant to treat the symptoms of presbyopia, an age-related condition that causes gradual loss of the eyes’ ability to focus on nearby objects. Link for more information: https://chicago.suntimes.com/well/2021/3/3/22309883/eye-drops-reading-glasses-awaiting-fda-approval-presbyopia-health#:~:text=A%20new%20drug%20that%20could,which%20is%20owned%20by%20AbbVie

Amyloid beta (Ab) proteins are the primary driver of Alzheimer's disease but also begin to collect in the retina as people get older. Donor eyes from patients who suffered from age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of blindness amongst adults in the UK, have been shown to contain high levels of Ab in their retinas. A study, published in the journal Cells, builds on previous research which shows that Ab collects around a cell layer called the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), to establish what damage these toxic proteins cause RPE cells. Link to more information: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-03-links-protein-alzheimer-disease-common.html